CHEROKEE, NC – The Intertribal Timber Council and Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will host the 47th Annual National Indian Timber Symposium, May 13-16, at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and Convention Center in Cherokee, NC.
Speakers, workshops, and tribal tours will highlight the important role tribal lands play in aligning sustainable forest management with traditional cultural knowledge to restore tribal trust. Managing non-tribal lands through cooperative relationships formed across multiple agencies is another key focus of the symposium. The symposium will also explore connections to the land and forests that make up the Qualla Boundary and the extended traditional homelands of the Cherokee.
“We are the people of the land,” said Howard Teasley, Nez Perce Tribe Chairman. “Our families, our traditions, and our knowledge have always included the natural environment – defining roles in the balance of the world we know. The symposium gives opportunities to come together to explore the latest thought and science on our perpetual connections. It also gives us the ability to network with new friends and colleagues and reconnect with old ones.”
Program highlights include:
- Building a Resilient Workforce in Tribal Forestry and Wildland Fire
- Turning Recommendations into Action – IFMAT-IV Implementation and Outreach Strategies
- Department of the Interior, Office of Wildland Fire Update
- Bureau of Indian Affairs Update
- Legislative Update
- USDA Forest Service, Office of Tribal Relations Update
- USDA Forest Service Engagement Opportunities
- Engaging Federal and Non-Federal Partners to Meet Tribal Management Objectives
- Opportunities with Universities and Tribal Colleges
- Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Cultural Fire Use
- Carbon Compliance and Voluntary Market Opportunities
- Annual Awards Banquet